If unprepared, silence during a conversation can feel uncomfortable. And yet, allowing the other person the space to think is really beneficial to the conversation as a whole.
When we don’t allow people the silence to reflect, the other person can become disengaged or interpret your inability to remain silent as you not really being interested in what they were going to say.
A wise person once told me to count to 10. And you will never realize how long 10 seconds is until you have to count them in a conversation. Something that helps with the waiting time, is being able to tap your foot silently or roll your ankle out 10 times…doing this discreetly is key. The purpose of this movement is to help you channel some of the internal energy as you wait for a response.
Try it out.
Image: Mimi Thian
